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tathāgatasāvakena
tathāgatasāvaka
masc instr sg of tathāgatasāvaka (noun)
- disciple of the Buddha
Built from
- tathā — root · thus, so
Adverbial particle indicating conformity to the exact nature of things (tathatā). No direct Indo-European cognate; the meaning reflects the Pali emphasis on how things actually are.
- ā — prefix · toward, arrival
Prefix reversing motion: √gam 'go' becomes āgata 'has come'. The prefix signals approach or culmination.
- gata — stem · gone, reached
Past participle of √gam 'go'; cognate with English 'go' and Latin 'ire'. The 'Thus-gone One' is one who has reached the goal.
- sāvaka — stem · hearer, disciple
Derived from √śru 'hear' (Sanskrit); cognate with English 'shear', 'share'. A sāvaka is one who hears and receives the teaching.
- ena — ending · by, with (instrumental singular)
Marks the instrumental case, expressing agency or means in the sentence.
Analysis. tathāgata (the Thus-gone, the Buddha) + sāvaka (hearer, disciple); the disciple of the Buddha, one who has heard and follows his teaching.
Etymology. Compound of tathāgata ('Thus-gone one', from tathā 'thus' + āgata 'come') and sāvaka ('hearer', from √śru 'hear', cognate with English 'shear', 'share' in the sense of receiving a portion; Sanskrit śrāvaka). In the Buddha's community, sāvaka denotes the lay and monastic followers who have heard the Dharma.